Bruised But Not Broken
by AliKat7
Summary: Future fic  after S5  Tim Riggins is trying to rebuild his life in the town he once loved. He just doesn't know how to heal when he's constantly reminded how far he fell. Tim/OFC  Teen for now but might be M eventually
1. Chapter 1

_A/N - first FNL fic. Unbetaed. New fan to FNL - I know, late to the game right? This is a future fic set after season 5 so there are spoilers for all seasons._

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><p>Tim watched the stranger through lowered lashes. She'd been there an hour, reading the paper and occasionally munching on some fries or nursing her beer. When he'd waited on her, he knew she wasn't from Dillon or even Texas by the accent but she didn't really seem interested in conversation so he'd left her alone. He caught her glancing over at him a few times though. Since the place was empty other than her, he decided to speak to her again.<p>

When he casually walked to the table, she followed him with her eyes. He couldn't read her expression though so he asked, "Can I get you anything else?"

"No, I'm good, thanks." He started to back away before she stopped him, saying, "Wait, can you recommend a hotel? Doesn't need to be fancy but I don't really want to get murdered in my sleep." She dropped the paper and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.

"Sure. How long you here for?" he asked, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen.

"Don't know. A week maybe? Not sure. My car broke down and he said he had to order a part for it so I'm stuck here until it comes in. But since I have boobs, he probably was lying to me. He looked a little shifty too. You know the type?"

"I think I _am_ the type," Tim said darkly and her brows lifted a little bit, a little smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I can take a look at it, if you want. And my brother owns a shop."

"I don't want to put you out or anything," she left it hanging out in the open and the two of them glanced around the empty bar. Grinning at him, she added, "Since you're so busy and all."

His gaze dropped to her lips before returning to hers. "I don't mind putting out," he drawled. "No, seriously. I'm off work at five if you want me to look at it. And my brother's shop is Riggins Rigs if you want to meet me there."

"Wow, now _this_ is awkward." She put her fingernail in her mouth and kind of chuckled and glanced away. At first he thought his comment about putting out is what got to her but then he realized what she meant and snickered.

"He _does_ look shifty, doesn't he? But I'll can call him and check on it if you want. I'm Tim, Tim Riggins." He was used to people knowing who he was instantly or at least as soon as he said his name so it was nice to not see the recognition in her eyes.

She held out her hand and said, "Dana, Dana Smith. If you'd started off with your name I wouldn't have stuck my foot in my mouth Tim. Might want to lead in with that next time."

"Everyone knows me in town so I don't normally have to tell them," he explained. "And don't worry about it. Like I said, Billy is kind of shifty looking and probably more so to a woman. I've said much worse about him. Let me give him a call for you."

She thanked him and smiled again and he noticed how cute she was. He walked a few steps and then turned back around. He felt strange and a little guilty that he wasn't going to tell her up front that he was an ex-con but it felt nice to have someone _not_ know and judge him. "I still get off at five, if you get bored."

Dana studied him a minute before nodding. "Meet you here?"

"Yeah. That'll work," he nodded and watched her for a brief second before going back behind the bar. He called Billy and got the deal about her car, warning his brother not to screw her over. She'd grabbed her stuff and was headed to the bar when he hung up. He explained about the car and assured her that Billy would be straight with her. She dug in her jeans pocket and pulled out a twenty. He made change but she waved it away, leaving him a nice tip for the amount of service he actually provided and he nodded in gratitude. "See you at five."

"Okay." He watched her walk away, pulling shades out of her purse. At the door, she turned around, pushing it open with her butt and smiling at him. Tonight should be interesting.

**xoxox**

Tim was swamped with the early pre-game crowd and didn't realize it was past five until he noticed Dana watching him from a bar stool. An older trucker was hitting on her and occasionally she'd nod in his direction but seemed bored. She'd changed her clothes and seemed a little bit more dressed up than earlier. Glancing down at his t-shirt and jeans with grease stains on them, he realized he probably should have planned a little better. When he looked back up, she was signaling him with her finger. He walked toward her and she mouthed the words 'help me' and he smiled.

Stopping in front of her and Ron Johnson, he waited for Ron to notice him but eventually he had to interrupt him with the trucker reached out and put his hand on Dana's back. "Hey Ron. I wonder if your wife would be glad to know you came straight here instead of home. Then again, you might want to call and make sure Amy's alone before you head home."

The trucker glared at him and Tim leveled his eyes at him. He knew he intimidated most of the people here now but if they'd had a few too many, beer muscles took over. Ron apparently had more sense than alcohol, sliding off the stood and throwing some money on the bar. "Screw you Riggins."

Dana raised her eyebrows, amused, and watched Ron leave before giving Tim a short round of applause. "Wow. That was…_epic_ and kind of evil." She took another sip of her drink before winking. "I approve."

He bowed his head slightly then grinned. "Sorry. I'm running a little behind. Gimme five…maybe ten?"

"Take your time. I have a whole lot of nothing else to do anyway. But can you bring me a light beer?"

"Sure," he walked a few feet and grabbed a bottle, opening it as he returned. "It's on me for making you wait."

A new waitress walked out so he had to clean up her tables before he left. When he finally was done, he went to find her at the pool tables. Apparently she was teamed up with a local guy playing for a little bit of money. He sat on a bar stool watching her play and talk to the others. After her shot, she joined him.

"So you're a pool shark?" he asked glancing at her sideways. "How much money have you taken them for?"

"What, you think that was an act?"

"Totally."

"Just between us?" He nodded and she glanced around before whispering in his ear. "Not an act. I'm really _that_ bad."

"Ouch. Poor Jimmy," he grinned. She had a great sense of humor at least.

"Poor Jimmy, my ass. He said I was his lucky charm and every time I go to shoot he manages to accidentally bump into my butt or stare down my shirt." Without really intending to, his eyes lowered to her shirt. She stopped talking and he glanced up to find her smirking. "Yeah my eyes are up here."

"I just wanted to see what Jimmy was looking at," he gave her an innocent look and shrugged. "Could be worth it. How much did he bet?"

"Yeah I don't think it's going to be worth it. He bet fifty and you just looked for free." Jimmy called her name and she walked over to shoot again. Sure enough Jimmy stared down her top. She winked at him and shot the eight ball in…then scratched. Tim bit back a laugh when she grinned brightly at Jimmy's grumbling. "What? I finally got a solid in."

Dana put her stick in the rack and joined him. "I couldn't have planned that better if I tried. You ready?"

"Sure." Placing his hand on her back, he walked out the backdoor with her. "I need to go change though."

She hesitated before getting into his truck, growing very serious. "You're not a serial killer, are you? Should I warn you that people know who I'm with?"

"No… Wait, do they?" He laughed, pulling the door open.

"Yes…well okay no," Dana admitted then pulled him to her by his shirt, turning her face up to his. She smelled incredible, exotic and spicy, but classy. His hand lowered to her waist and she released his shirt. "You know what I want to do?"

"I have a few ideas…"

"I want to get some beers and then I want you to take me someplace that just screams out Friday night in Dillon to you. Then I want to watch the sunset, listen to some good music, and drink beer." Her childlike enthusiasm came out of nowhere and he wondered if she was drunker than he realized.

"Yeah, that's not what I was expecting you to say…"

"Perhaps I should mention that I have a multiple personality disorder. But maybe you'll get lucky and Tiffany the nymphomaniac will make an appearance." She said it so deadpan, he wondered if she was serious before she cracked a smile. "So what's big Friday night in Dillon type activity?"

Tim dropped his head for a moment before saying, "High school football games on Fridays are busier than churches on Sunday."

"Football as a religion? There are some men that swear by it. It sounds fun. I'm guessing you played back in the day."

"Yeah, back in the day. Maybe I should warn you…" he paused then shaking his head he said, "Nevermind." Hopefully no one would tell her. At least if they did, the night would be young enough that he could still go out and get drunk. "Let me go change."

"Go as you are, no worries," she said easing in the truck. After he closed the door behind her she leaned over to the open window and said, "By the way, in case I forget to tell you later…you have an _amazing_ ass."

Leaning against the truck door, he came very close to her, but stopped short of her lips. "No complaints about yours either." She smiled slowly and he winked.

"So what position?" her voice lowered.

He cocked his head a little bit and said, "Whatever position you prefer."

Dana bit back a smile before clarifying, "I meant _on_ the field but good to note. And nice visual image, thank you very much."

"I was on the offensive line, a couple of positions but…I'm always willing to try a new position as long as I get to score." He held her eyes for a beat before licking his lips and straightening up. Dana laughed, rolling her eyes, and he said, "Let's go watch some football."

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><p>Please review! Comments are love 3<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Dana couldn't help but glance over at Tim repeatedly throughout the ride over. She'd thought he was cute when she first saw him this afternoon but…damn, she didn't quite gauge his level of cuteness. And hot. He was frickin' hotter than the weather and it had to be at least in the hundreds as the sun was setting. The quirky smile and lowering of the eyes thing he did when he _knew_ he was being adorable had to be dangerous though. The kind of guy that could rip your heart out and make you want him to do it all over again.

"So, Massachusetts huh?" he asked and she didn't bother asking how he knew. After all, it was on her license plate so Billy could have told him or her license when he carded her earlier. But she wondered to herself if he had cared enough to ask Billy or just had a good memory about little details. "Kinda far from home aren't you? You in college in Texas?"

"No, just traveling through." She didn't elaborate, probably to test his interest in getting to know her versus just making small talk.

"From Massachusetts to Texas…running to someone or away from something?"

The question caught her off guard and she paused. When she finally answered him, she admitted why it perplexed her. "Strange wording…how do you know I'm not running away from someone or to something?"

Tim gazed out the window for a minute then shrugged. "Usually people run away from things they did or run to a person they care about." She watched him and saw how uneasy he got, to the point where she could almost see his defenses rising. "You a psychology major?"

Dana smiled and shook her head. "Maybe it just hit me strange because it's a little different for me. I'm running away from someone _and_ something but I'm not really running _to_ anything. Actually I'm intentionally running to nothing."

"Well," he smirked at her. "Don't know how well the running away from something is working out for you but you succeeded in running to nothing. There's _nothing_ here in Dillon."

Laughing, she replied, "You'd be surprised. There's a lot more here than other places I've been. And there's you." When he glanced up surprised, she added, "An interesting, good-looking guy friendly enough to talk to me rather than just try to get in my pants right away. You'd be surprised at how rare that is."

He opened his mouth for a second then shut it quickly with a short laugh. "Wow, now if I try anything tonight I've screwed up all your theories on Dillon." When she laughed with him, he glanced over at her, "Unless of course that was a test or code or something. Then I could be reading this conversation all wrong and you'll just end up disappointed that I didn't try anything. No pressure or anything."

"It's too soon to tell," she answered with a wink. "And how do you know that I'm not the type to make the first move?"

"Fair 'nuff. Maybe we can just agree that if one of us is feeling it we should act on it and the other promises not to react violently if they aren't feeling it."

"You're really just taking all of the fun out of it then. What's life without a little risk?"

Tim glanced at her sideways and shook his head. "I can honestly say I've never said this to anyone _before_ they said it to me first but, you're trouble. I can tell. And not the blatantly obvious kind of trouble that you realize it right away but the kind that sneaks up on you and it's way too late by the time you figure it out."

"Well, I can honestly say, I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult," she laughed for a long time. Tim Riggins was describing himself with that statement she'd bet. "I used to be a very good girl then I realized I wasn't having any fun. Then I went a bit too far and had way too much fun and stayed in trouble. Now I have just enough fun…and try to avoid getting caught."

After a quick smile, his face took on a more serious expression when he said, "Yeah I did it in a little bit different order I think. Naturally I screwed it up."

"It's never screwing up to do things your way. It's screwing up when you try to do things someone else's way and fail at it because you weren't honest with yourself."

"You sound like a psychology major."

The wind from the open window felt like a heater and Dana pulled her hair up into a temporary ponytail. "I've just had a lot of time to figure some things out about myself and life in general."

She hadn't realized they were at the school until Tim pulled the truck into a spot and put it into park. He turned off the engine and glanced over at her. His eyes were so wounded, she felt their impact like a physical blow. In a quiet serious voice he asked, "And did you figure your life out?"

Her throat felt suddenly dry and she shook her head slowly. "No, I just learned a few things. Including that I'll never be able to understand out why things happen the way they do. But I guess I've learned that if I keep trying to make sense of everything, I'll waste my whole life away. The hard part was making the decision to not care why it all happened and just accept that it had. I'd rather live my life trying to be happy instead of trying to always keep it all together. Some people, like me, aren't born to be wise and always make great decisions. Some of us are just born survivors."

Tim was quiet for a long time before nodding, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel. "I don't know, that sounds pretty wise to me."

After a minute, she cleared her throat and, avoiding his eyes, she said, "I don't know what happened to you, Tim. I don't even know you. But trust me on one thing; it's never too late to start over. You can do something that you didn't even think you were capable of doing, something that makes you wonder if everyone wasn't right when they judged you so harshly but if you can forgive yourself, you can start over. Unfortunately, that's the hardest part. It's so much easier to beat up on yourself for all your mistakes." After another long silence, she looked back up and he was watching her. Reaching out, she pushed his long hair away from his face and then smiled. "Wow, got a little too serious in here for a minute didn't it?"

Tim leaned over and brushed his lips against hers, hesitating slightly as if waiting for her to stop him. When she didn't, he kissed her again, his mouth hot on hers a little longer, a little more daring. Dana slid her arm around his neck, giving him the permission he seemed to be asking. She hadn't intended that deep conversation at all or this kiss. Hell she didn't intend to meet someone like him. Something told her that this wasn't going to end up being just a one night stand with a hot guy, even if it was never quite anything more than just him needing some sort of connection beyond sex with someone who understood and didn't demand more than he could ever give. Someone had tried to break him and had damn nearly succeeded.

The kiss stayed away from being too sexual but not all that innocent either. Good God, he seemed to be pure sexual energy and she would bet he knew tricks in bed that make her come unglued. But he seemed to be restraining himself for some reason so she just went with it. She had enough experience to her realize how much more he obviously had. He pulled back slowly with a few lingering, light kisses.

Dana focused really hard to even think straight and Tim seemed to be at a loss of what to say. She kind of felt like he kissed her for the same reason; it was a way to break up the serious conversation without actually figuring out what to say. Finally she said, "I guess it's too late to tell you that I have a rule against kissing on the first date?" She bit her lip to prevent herself from giggling nervously.

"Yeah a couple of decades too late to get away with that line actually," he smirked then kissed her quickly. "Besides I've never been really that great at following rules. Breaking them, that's my specialty."

"Wait…give me a few minutes here to think of some rules I want you to break. Something to do with multiple orgasms or giving me anything I ask for..." Dana didn't even attempt to keep a straight face.

"Which would include multiple orgasms, I'm sure."

Something caught her eye outside the truck and she turned to see what it was. After realizing what it was she wrinkled her nose and said, "It does not, however, include making out in your front seat while an old man watches us."

"What?" After a look of confusion, he glanced outside and muttered. "Damn."

"Tim? Tim Riggins? Is that you?" The man called out loudly and walked toward the truck. Ignoring the fact that they had obviously been busy, he leaned against the truck door and stuck his hand in to shake Tim's firmly. "Well I'll be. I wondered when you'd show up around here again. Billy said you were working at Buddy's on Friday's normally so I just assumed that's where you'd be."

"Yeah, usually I do but I got lucky tonight and had the night off." Tim gave her a helpless shrug and began opening the door, reaching down and grabbing her hand so she slid out on his side. "Coach Flynn, this is Dana. Dana, this is my former coach."

"Oh, nice to meet you," Dana said politely and let the man take her free hand and shake it so hard she thought he was going to pull her arm off. "So you don't coach here anymore?"

"Here?" Coach Flynn looked confused then laughed loudly, smacking Tim on the arm. "Nah, I never coached here. I was his Pop Warner coach from the time he was a Tiny-Mite. You must not be from around here if you don't know that Tim was one of Coach Taylor's stars when he was the Panther's coach. Yup. I coached Tim and Jason Street, God bless that boy, since they could barely hold their pads up without falling over."

"A Tiny-Mite?" Dana glanced at Tim to find him almost blushing and couldn't help but laugh. "No sir, Tim didn't tell me about his Tiny Mite days or even that he had been a football star."

"Star is greatly exaggerated," Tim insisted but before he could get in another word, the coach slapped him on the shoulder again.

"Don't let him fool you. He was the best player this town had after Street got hurt. Between Smash and Saracen, they took the Panthers straight to the State Championship."

"Wow, I had no idea." Dana could feel Tim squirming and didn't know if the guy was clueless about it or what but he seemed very proud of Tim. She put her arm around Tim's waist and gazed up at him like she totally adored her and said sweetly, "Well, I'm not surprised. I bet your coaching made all the difference. He certainly does know what it takes to score."

Tim's eyes widened but he fought off the laughter long enough to blurt out, "How's Mrs. Flynn doing, Coach?"

The two of them talked for a few minutes before Tim finally managed to shake the man. Dana just watched the coach's obvious affection for Tim and thought it was very sweet. Every once in awhile someone would walk by and wave at Tim. Her town was small but people didn't really know each other like this. The man walked away and she turned to him with a slight smile. "Tiny-Mites huh? You know I think they have a cream for that now."

"You're evil. It's like the youngest football players." He shook his head but she could tell he wasn't actually bothered by her teasing. Suddenly she heard a female scream his name before a blur of motion as said female launched herself in his direction with a huge hug, almost pushing Dana aside.

"Becky, you just saw me last week," he admonished the younger girl and tried to hold her at a distance, while pulling Dana back beside him.

"Yes but you're at a _game_! I never thought you'd come to a game again," the girl smiled brightly before turning to Dana and saying, "Hi! I'm Becky."

"I'm Dana. Nice to…"

"You're the one driving that hot car that Billy's working on aren't you? That is a nice ride! Figures you'd only be in town a day before meeting Tim." She giggled and squeezed his arm affectionately. She didn't bother to explain who she was or anything so Dana didn't ask but it seemed that they might be related or something. Quickly, Becky turned around and yelled at some other girls who ran over and began fawning all over Tim much to Dana's amusement and his annoyance. At one point, she did get squeezed away from him so she walked over to the bed of the truck and sat down. After about twenty minutes, he came over looking embarrassed.

"Maybe this wasn't the best idea." He shook his head. "I thought we'd at least make it out of the parking lot before someone embarrassed me."

"Nah, it's kind of sweet actually. In my town you don't really go out of your way to meet people. I mean, its small'ish but not as friendly. Maybe it's a northern thing. Either way, its fine. It's obvious that people really like you so you can't be all _that_ bad."

He looked surprised then shrugged. "It's hard to explain. Coach remembers me as the little kid who grew up and played for the Panthers, which to him is like playing for the NFL is for most normal people. He comes to every Panthers game and has since long before I was born even though his kids grew up and moved away years ahead of me. And Becky, well…that's just Becky. She's still a teenager and likely to go from loving me one minute to hating me the next. Her friends know me by reputation only. When I said high school football was big here, I wasn't exaggerating. The football players were…_are_…treated like Gods. Coach Taylor, my coach for the last three years at Dillon, he was the first coach that actually didn't treat us like that. He tried to keep it down to Earth."

"Sounds like you miss it." Dana reached out and tucked his hair behind his ear.

He gazed at the field in the distance for awhile before admitting. "I guess I do. It was nice to be able to fix everything by scoring the winning touchdown or something." Smiling, he pulled her from the truck bed and shut the gate. "Let's go. It's almost kickoff."

"Now might be a good time to mention that I know about as much about football as I do about pool."

Tim stopped walking so suddenly she almost ran into him and gawked at her. "I don't even know what to say to that. I think that's probably the deal breaker. I could overlook the fact you're a Yankee or that you drive an import, not to mention the fact you suck at pool and you drink snooty beer but not knowing about football? That's un-American."

"I played it once!" she exclaimed "Well it was tag football and I got kicked off the team because I kept tackling but I did play once. I love my car! And just when did Amstel become snooty?"

"It's imported beer! You need to drink and drive American. If you drove a Chevy or a Ford, you wouldn't be stuck here for a week watching for a part for that Matchbox. I could be up under your hood now."

Dana put her hands on her hips and cocked her head. "Seriously? Up under my hood? _Lame_. They're right. Things are bigger in Texas. Bigger egos, bigger mouths…" When Tim smirked she put her hand over his mouth quickly. "Yeah, I totally walked into that one and you don't even need to say what you were going to say. Now if you want to go see this game I suggest we go before the tip off." As soon as she said it, she realized her mistake and tightened her hand on his mouth. "You know I meant kick off. I know _that_ much. I've even watched a few Superbowls. Granted it was for the commercials but I picked up a few things by mistake I'm sure."

Tim put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Don't cheer until you're sure it's for the right team okay? Because if you cheer for the other team, you're totally on your own here."

"I think I can manage to figure out which team to cheer for smartass."

"We'll see."

"I bet you a hotdog. I could really go for a hotdog…a nice long hotdog."

Tim laughed. "And you called me lame?"

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><p><em>Please review. I'd love to hear what you think!<em>


	3. Chapter 3

Mindy and Tim waited outside the restrooms for Dana and he tried to ignore all of the curious looks. The night seemed to be going well but he still felt judgment from everyone.

"Dana seems nice. I like her," Mindy watched him closely. "And she seems to like you. It's about time you stop wallowing and had some fun. We all miss the old Tim. I was beginning to think he'd never come back."

"It's just a first date Mindy. Don't start planning the wedding yet." He grinned, pulling his hand through his hair. "She's fun though."

"I didn't say I wanted you to marry her. I just thought it was nice to see you around town. You can't hide away at Buddy's forever waiting for my baby sister to come home. You should come to our party tomorrow night if you're not working. Mama's got the kids the whole weekend. I'm sure Billy would love it."

"I'd love what? Last time you said I'd love something, you got pregnant with the twins." His brother wrapped his arms around Mindy's waist.

"Stop it! You're all sweaty and gross now." Mindy pushed him away playfully but her smile made it obvious she wasn't really that disgusted. Billy grabbed and kissed her, despite her trying to get away and giggling.

"For the record, PDA isn't fun to observe especially between two people that already have three kids." Tim snorted and turned away, seeing Dana come out of the restrooms. He threw his cup in the trashcan and said goodbye to the couple. "I'll see you guys later and let you know about tomorrow night."

Dana smiled when he walked up and put his arm around her shoulders. "Sorry I took so long. I was reading something on the bathroom wall about this guy…named Tim Riggins! It was fascinating. Apparently, he's a good time but quite the little slut and heartbreaker."

Tim opened his mouth to say argue but realized he couldn't really so he just nodded. "Yeah, he was kind of slutty."

"_Was_? So you're a reformed slut? But a good time. Slutty and fun. Which…in theory, how can that possibly be bad? Unless, of course, you're a heartbreaker. Then, yeah, you're a slutty, good-time heartbreaker and in high school that tends to be very dramatic.

"Tell me about it. I lived it."

Dana put her arm around his waist and smiled up at him. "But you survived."

Tim stopped and turned to her, his voice dropping slightly. "And what do you think about slutty heartbreakers? Or maybe you were one yourself."

"Not in high school," she replied with a grin. "That was when I was still being a 'good' girl. But as for what I think about you…there's potential."

"Potential for…?"

Taking his hand in her own she started walking backwards toward his truck. "Too soon to say…but potential is…_potential_. I will let you buy me a drink."

"You're a tease aren't you?" he grinned, jerking her back into his arms, still walking towards the truck. The way she looked at him sent heat coursing through his body.

"No, I just like to make sure I want something before I take it." Her hands moved up his chest and her eyes to his. "I don't like to regret something like that."

They had reached his truck and he kept moving until her back was against the door, then moved his hands to her face. "Take? You don't have to _take_ it. It's yours, if you want it." Pressing his lips against hers, his tongue moved swiftly into her mouth. Not a tender sweet kiss like earlier. He wanted her and made sure she knew it. Her tongue met his, dueling for dominance and her fingers dug into his biceps. For a moment he forgot where they were; desire coursing through his body and his brain losing all thought but listening to his body. Dana moaned into his mouth and pulled him even closer to her, so he was pressed against her soft curves. Eventually voices invaded their private moment and he reluctantly stopped. The two of them watched each other for a moment, their breathing slightly heavy.

"We should probably go…someplace else," he whispered, his thumb running along her bottom lip. Her tongue darted out to lick his thumb and he kissed her once again, quickly but just as heated.

"Well we missed watching the sun set but I'm sure we can find some beer and still listen to some good music, somewhere." Her voice was breathy and it was obvious she didn't care where they went. "And we can talk or…whatever."

A thought occurred to him and he smiled. "I know the perfect place." He took a step back and let her move so he could open the door. After another quick kiss, he threw the truck in reverse.

After getting a couple of six packs, he drove out to his land. The wooden frame he and Billy had been working on was a long way from being a house but he wanted to show her anyway. "This is my house. Well, the start of it."

"You're building a house?" She smiled and looked out the window as he drove up to it. "Are you doing it by yourself?"

"Yes so it'll probably take me forever to build but…it's mine."

"That's really cool," she replied, opening the door. He liked that she seemed genuinely impressed by that fact and followed her as she walked over.

"Be careful. There are probably nails and other things all over the ground," Tim warned her and took her hand to lead her around a pile of cinder blocks. "Billy and I aren't really careful since no one comes out here. It's not like a professional construction site where a foreman tells us to clean up."

"You are your own foreman. Did you do the design plan yourself too?" The moonlight reflected in her face and her smile encouraged him to explain the rest of the floor plan, walking around the house and showing her. At one point she even gave him a few suggestions or comments. They were standing in one room and she said, "So this is your bedroom huh? I usually don't end up in a guy's bedroom on the first date."

"Yeah…well…there is no bed, so I don't think it counts." Glancing around, he added, "There are no _walls_, so it can't possibly count."

"Okay, that works. This house is really nice. And your view will be gorgeous when you're finished. Here I thought you were just an average guy working in a bar. I didn't figure you for the land owning, house-building, ex-football hero type. I underestimated you."

"I'm used to being underestimated," he laughed. "But you make me sound a lot better than the reality." He decided it was only fair to tell her the truth. "To be honest, I…I feel like I owe you the truth."

Dana shook her and said, "You don't _owe_ me anything. But I'd respect you a lot more if you were honest."

Tim released her hand and walked a few feet before turning back to face her. The moon allowed enough light that he could see her watching him. "I'm an ex-con. I just got out on parole earlier this year."

She was silent but didn't seem pissed off or shocked, rather she seemed like she was still waiting for the bad news. Eventually, she nodded and asked, "And why were you in prison?"

"I…I was running a chop-shop out of Riggins Rigs and got busted." It never got any easier to take full responsibility for that crime but he didn't know her well enough, trust her enough to tell her the truth. Only Tyra, Billy, and Mindy knew the truth.

Still, she seemed calm and then she glanced down at the floor with a big sigh. He thought she was trying to find a way to end the date really quickly and tensed when she spoke. "I guess in all fairness I should tell you the truth too then. I didn't know we were at the point of full disclosure about our criminal records…"

"I just thought you should know before anything happened…wait, what?" What she'd said sunk in and he realized why she wasn't upset. Probably some minor traffic offense or public drunkenness. "What did you do?"

Dana chewed her lip nervously before glancing away again. "Attempted murder…but I wasn't convicted."

Tim had not expected that and needed a few minutes before he saying, "Wow. Did you do it?"

"Yes." She shrugged slightly, completely calm but her voice was a little sad. Not regretful but sad. "It was…look, it's a long story and I'm not proud of it, but I don't _regret_ what I did. I'm not a danger to society or anything though. And if this is too heavy for you, I'll understand if you want to take me back to my hotel and drop me off. I mean…it's not exactly a speeding ticket or even a chop-shop."

"No, it's okay…well, I mean…" What did he mean? His brain raced and Tim realized he didn't know _anything_ about her. It wasn't exactly her fault he didn't know anything though, he hadn't asked many questions. He usually didn't but he found himself wanting to know more know. "Why don't we get a few beers and you can tell me this long story? If you want to, of course."

"Yeah, okay. Just keep in mind, this whole _'honesty'_ deal was your plan." She seemed a little irritated at this point and walked by him to go out to where they'd left the beer.

Tim followed her, shaking his head. Was it too much to ask to meet a nice, _normal_ girl for once? That's why he didn't ask questions! He should have just left it at that. He opened a beer and sat down in the folding chair facing her. Her jaw tightened and she glanced away for a few minutes. Tim waited, sipping his beer until she finally faced him. "What happened?"

**xOxOx**

Dana almost smiled at the simple question. What happened? Like it could be summed up into once sentence? She debated how much to tell him: the whole long sordid story or just the highlights? While she was debating, Tim asked her who she tried to kill and she let out a short laugh. "My fiancé." Realizing it was best to just give him the highlights for now, she added, "He used to hit me and one night he pushed me through French doors. After getting back from the hospital, getting God knows how many stitches, he tried to tell me it was my fault. I snapped. I couldn't stand hearing his voice anymore. I knew he had a gun; he'd threatened me with it enough times. So I went upstairs to get it. He came after me, screaming at me to not walk away. I locked the door before he got to the bedroom. When he started pounding on the door, I grabbed the gun andshot him five times through the door."

Tim was either in complete shock or trying to decide if she was a psycho. He had his beer bottle to his lips, but he just stared at her. Dana tucked her hair behind her ears and said, "I guess you're sorry you asked me out now, aren't you?"

After another moment of silence, he shook his head like trying to shake himself out of a trance then sat up on the edge of the chair, looking at her tenderly. "It was self defense. I mean…what else could you have done?"

She shook her head and, raising her voice a little bit, and stressed, "No, it wasn't self defense. Not really. I_ intended_ to kill him. I was tired of being hit but I wasn't really in danger at that point. If it hadn't been for the fact most of the bullets didn't even hit him or if the door hadn't been shut, he'd be dead. I wasn't convicted because they said it was self defense but really, it wasn't. Like I said, I'm not proud of what I did but I don't regret standing up for myself. I just wish I'd done it sooner or at least had really been defending myself instead of punishing him." Tears burned her eyes but she wouldn't allow herself to cry. In fact, she smiled, trying to act like everything was okay. "So, now you know what I was running away from and who. I'll let you drive me back to the hotel now." She stood up and took a step before Tim grabbed her hand. Dana glanced down in surprise but he focused on her hand for a moment before rising to stand before her.

"I'm not judging you Dana. I know how it feels to be hit and not be able to hit back. I've had to back down from fights before and it sucks to want to hit someone _so badly_ but you can't. I can only imagine it's a hundred times worse if you can't protect yourself." His voice was gentle.

"I know you're thinking I'm a victim and that's sweet and all. But I'm not a victim anymore. And I'm not looking for someone to _save_ me. I'm fine, really." She smiled brightly. "It probably was the best thing that happened to me actually.

Tim ran a hand through his hair and nodded. "Well, that doesn't change the fact that I'm sorry he hurt you and that you were pushed to that point. I'm just saying I probably would have snapped too. I probably would have opened the door before I shot him though."

Dana laughed, unable to help herself. "Yeah well, it wasn't my shining moment in being prepared or thinking things out. My lawyer said I had 'poor impulse control' due to the fact I was in pain and on pain medications. But honestly, I just didn't think about the details."

"If this is your way of 'one upping' me, you win. I needed money and found a way to get some. It was stupid. I'm guilty of being extremely stupid quite often." Tim grinned and pulled her into his arms. "I know one thing for sure; I really don't want to end this date though. Are you kidding me? It's rare that I mean a girl that's more screwed up than I am."

Dana slapped him in the chest. "I'm not screwed up. I'm completely normal…well, relatively normal. Like the lawyer said, I just have poor impulse control."

Tim smirked, covering his mouth before lifting his eyebrows. "That's not always a _bad_ thing. So come on, tell me all the rest of your damage."

* * *

><p><em>AN I know it might seem like I'm venturing into Mary Sue territory but I promise, her past isn't going to be a focus of the story. :)_


	4. Chapter 4

They talked most of the night. Instead of going back to her hotel, Tim indulged her request that they sleep outside. She'd never been camping and even though this was far from it, it was nice to sleep outside. Although they'd made out a few times, she made it clear that she didn't want to sleep with him yet. She was completely and curled up around him when he woke up the next morning. He watched her sleep for a minute before sliding out from under her arm and getting up. Nature was calling so he walked out of sight to take care of things. When he came back, she sat up rubbing her eyes. He tried to kiss her only to have her put her hand firmly on his chest.

"Morning breath," she grumbled, turning away and rising. "Oh and a warning…I'm so not a morning person." She got up and wandered off for a few. She was totally opposite the mostly chipper girl last night. He went to his truck and dug around until he found some gum.

"My head…" she muttered, giving him a glare and taking a piece of gum. "Stupid American beer. I never have hangovers with my beer. I suggest you get me some coffee if you want me to act remotely human."

Tim grinned and grabbed up the blanket. "Come on Sunshine. Let's go get you some breakfast."

"Hotel," she mumbled, leaning her head against the window. Tim drove her back to her hotel and she opened the door to the truck, turning back to him. "I need a shower…aren't you coming in?"

"Oh, I wasn't sure you want…sure, I'll come up."

Tim opened the door for her because it got jammed which caused her a minor fit involving kicking and cussing. The blast of the AC made the room like a refrigerator and he glanced around at the mess she'd made in less than a day. Apparently she had a hard time picking out clothes last night because they seemed to be spread all over the bed. Dana walked by the dresser, grabbing up a robe and towels and pointing at the machine, "Coffee." Then she disappeared into the bathroom.

After making the coffee, Tim pushed aside some clothes and sat down on the bed, clicking on the TV. Dana came out of the bathroom in a robe with a towel wrapped around her head and poured some coffee, still not speaking or even glancing at him. She drank half the cup before turning around, pulling the towel out of her hair at the same time.

"Did I mention I'm not a morning person?" she said apologetically. "I'm really not a hungover morning person. Give me five minutes and another cup of coffee and I'll be okay."

"You're fine," he laughed and leaned back on his elbows. Dana sipped her coffee, watching him. "What?"

"Nothing…" she replied but after polishing off the cup of coffee she came over and straddled his legs, sitting down on his lap. Tim lowered his hands to her legs as she leaned forward. "Just that you look so…tempting right now."

"Well…technically it's not the first date anymore so…if that was your rule." His hands moved up her thighs, rubbing the silky robe, tempted to untie the belt. But he wasn't sure about how she'd react since so far this morning, she hadn't invited any contact, until now.

"It's not a rule, exactly. It's just better that way if you know someone better. It's usually disappointing if you rush into sex with someone you don't know. But that doesn't mean I don't want to." She kissed him teasingly, moving her lips along his jaw to his ear. "I'm just trying to listen to my brain instead of my body." She bit his ear lightly and Tim moved his hands to her bare knees, sliding them under the robe onto her legs.

"And your brain is saying 'no'?" he whispered, inhaling the fresh scent of her while her lips moved along his neck hot yet still teasingly. He tested her boundaries and moved his hands up, wrapped them around her upper thighs, and pulled her closer. She gasped in surprise but didn't stop him.

Dana pulled back to look at his face, her breathing a little heavier. "I just think it'd be smarter, better, to wait. But it's not telling me no, just to wait. Besides, anticipation is like…foreplay."

"If that's your idea of foreplay, I have a few things to show you," he whispered, catching her mouth in a hot kiss. He lay back pulling her on top of him but held back from going further than a kiss, not wanting to rush her. Tempting her was a different story however and he slid his hands to her hips to pull her flush against him. At one time, it would be so easy for him to seduce her. But he still hadn't regained total confidence in himself after Lyla then recently Tyra left him and didn't want to face rejection. And Dana was still an unknown to him, despite them talking all night. He didn't know enough about her history with men to judge what type of girl she was when it came to sex, other than to know she didn't want a one-night stand. But Jesus, it's been too long and she was lying on top of him in just a thin short robe. Reluctantly he released her lips, saying, "But I won't rush you."

Dana seemed a little shaken and when she recovered she nodded slightly, "Yeah…that'd be smart, wouldn't it? Not to rush, I mean." Her voice unsure, she also seemed reluctant to move so he kissed her again. After a few heated kisses, she rolled over, pulling him with her. Tim settled in between her legs and moaned when she gasped, digging her nails into his back. Soon she began pulling his shirt up and he rose enough to rip it off before burying his lips into her neck, his hands untying her robe.

A loud shrill telephone ring caused them both to jump and after the second ring, Dana reached out snatching the phone off the hook. He moved enough so she could put the phone to her ear. "Hello? Billy? Billy who?"

Tim rolled his eyes and whispered 'my brother'. Typical timing.

"Yeah, hi," she paused listening before she moved to slide out from under him, tightening the robe. "Hold on, let me get it." Tim dropped his head on the bed, wanting to kill his brother, while she dug around in her purse before rattling some numbers off a credit card. "Doesn't sound like I have a choice, does it? Okay, thanks for letting me know." He raised his head when she hung up the phone.

"Apparently they don't have the part at his normal suppliers so he has to go to someone else and its going to take a little bit longer and cost more," she said, dropping her purse back on the floor.

"Do you want me to call him?" Tim propped himself up on his side.

"No, I think he's being straight with me and it's not that big of a deal. It's only money," she replied sarcastically then sat back down on the bed. She trailed her finger down his chest before shrugging. "But maybe fate was intervening and telling us to slow the fuck down."

"No. It was my brother interrupting us. That's it." Tim grinned and pulled her back down beside him. "But if you want to wait, I'll understand. I won't _like_ it…but I'll understand."

Dana lowered her eyes and mumbled, "Bad impulse control, remember? I want to be smart. But when you kiss me…my body just wants to be happy. And it's been a long time since it's been 'happy'. I should probably get dressed."

It was obvious she didn't want to get up and she didn't move. Her eyes still lowered while she chewed on her lip. Tim smiled and said, "Yeah…I guess so. Or not. Whichever you prefer."

After a minute, she sighed loudly and moved to sit up muttering 'damn it' under her breath. She gathered up some clothes, glancing back at him frustration written on her face, as she pouted, "Now I need a _cold_ shower."

Tim chuckled and shook his head. "There are alternatives. I'm just saying…cold shower or 'happy' as you put it."

"Stop! You're just making this worse," she replied with a groan and rushed into the bathroom. Tim lay back on the bed cursing Billy for his bad timing. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the bathroom door was open and he could see her in the mirror. He could see _everything_…at least from the back, and didn't even care if he shouldn't be looking. She shouldn't have left the door open. After she pulled on a thong and jeans shorts, she turned around while fastening them. Her eyes drifted up and met his in the mirror. At first she looked surprised, then she rolled her eyes when he grinned, After a moment, she turned her back on him again, but it didn't escape his observation that she never covered herself. And she dug piercings apparently.

Tim smiled at the ceiling for a moment then he called out, "So I have to work tonight but I could probably switch a lunch time shift with someone. Mindy and Billy invited us to a party if you want to go."

"Are you asking me out or are you asking me if I want to go to the party?" she called back, pulling her hair into a ponytail as she left the bathroom. "Yes, I'll go out with you again and it's up to you about the party. I'm easy."

"Ha! Not yet."

"Oh, shut up! You know what I meant. And it's not nice to spy on me," she slapped his leg and sat on the bed to put on sandals.

"Uh, hello? You left the door open. I'm a guy." Quickly snaking his arm around her waist he pulled her down and climbed over her as she laughed. "Pierced? That's…_hot_. Any other piercings I should know about?"

"A little personal, I didn't ask you that!"

"Fuck no. Are you kidding me? I don't even want to think about that," he exclaimed making a face.

"Well, it's amazing what you'll do when you're drunk. But no, I'm not pierced _there_, just the nips, ears, and belly." She looked a little embarrassed then asked, "So that doesn't turn you off?"

Tim watched her for a moment and then slowly pulled her t-shirt up to reveal her belly ring. He kissed her stomach, hot and lingering before whispering, "_Nothing_ I saw turned me off."

**xOxOx**

Tim rushed home, took a shower and grabbed some clothes 'just in case', headed off to Buddy's. At work he was too busy to think straight, much less analyze why he was in a good mood. The tips in the afternoon were shitty and he worked mostly by himself stocking the bar in between waiting tables. Like most days, he didn't make conversation with people other than business. When Buddy came in, Tim left to go run some errands before picking her up.

"Figures I'd find you in the condom aisle, Tim Riggins."

Tim grinned and whispered in her ear, "Maybe you should try it Becky. Besides, I'm just being prepared."

"Three packs? That's not prepared, that's ambitious." Becky grabbed a box out of his hand and read, "Ribbed for her…"

Snatching the box back, Tim shook his head and began walking toward the checkout. "Some of us like to be considerate. You're not going to be there tonight are you?"

"No, I'm not allowed but thanks for reassuring me that I'll be missed. Apparently it's an adult party."

Tim stopped mid-stride and turned to her. "Is that code for all the girls from the Landing Strip?"

"It's Saturday night Tim. Most of them wouldn't miss Saturday night tips to go to a party but I'm sure some will be strolling in eventually. Why? Does Debbie not like strippers?" Becky grabbed shampoo that was on sale and handed it to him. "Can you get this for me? I'll pay you back."

"Yeah but no, _Dana_ hasn't said anything bad about strippers. It's just you know when they're in large groups they tend to make things a little too…"

"Adult?"

"Grabby. They grope _a lot_. Men, women, those girls have no inhibitions. Not that that's a bad thing, it's just something I should probably warn her about." Tim continued his walk toward the front. After checking out, he handed Becky her shampoo and they went separate ways.

When Tim arrived at the hotel, Dana didn't answer the door. He waited a few minutes then he heard someone call out, "Hey baby, you looking for a date?" Turning, he saw her in a lounge chair beside the pool.

"I thought I had one…" He grinned and she got up, picking up her towel and walking toward him.

"Sorry, it was sooo hot, I got in the pool to cool off and next thing, I'm passed out in the sun." When she reached him, she gazed up at him with a smile. "You look really hot."

"I'm used to the heat."

Dana laughed and put her hands on his waist, pulling him closer. "I didn't mean the heat." Her voice dropped seductively. "You're making me wonder if smart is going to win in the end."

"We've been smart for over 24 hours. Isn't that enough?" he teased, running his hand down her almost bare back. The bikini didn't leave much to the imagination honestly especially when combined with the earlier peepshow. Dana watched him for a moment and he sensed she was thinking the same thing he was. She fiddled with the door and he moved to help her, pressing her against it as he did.

As they walked through the door, Tim pulled her back against him, wrapping his arms around her waist and lowering his head to run his tongue along her shoulder. She shivered slightly, pressing back against him. He smiled to himself then teased her neck before moving his hand up her sides. Dana turned, still pressed against him, her breathing unsteady as she dropped the towel and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Screw being smart."

Tim kissed her, walking her backwards to the bed, his hand already untying her top. "Are you sure?"

"I thought about this all day," she whispered, unbuttoning his shirt. "I seriously don't care about what's the right thing to do. I just feel like we have this…_connection_ and it's just there, whether we wait a day or a week. Maybe it's just lust, I don't know. But it seems like more."

"It's more," he agreed, burying his hand in her hair and trailing his lips down her neck as she pulled his shirt off. "I just want you to be sure this is what you want."

"God yes," she answered, sitting down on the bed and pulling him with her. Suddenly she looked at him with concern. "Wait, do you not want to?"

"Oh I want to," Tim assured her, pulling her top off with a smile. "Just wanted you to be sure…no regrets"

* * *

><p>AN - this next chapter might end up bumping up the rating to M. Don't know how many teen readers I have though...


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